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The tyranny of chairs: why we need better design
- adamnemecek 6y agoThe worst chair in the world is the American high school/college desk+chair combo like this one https://www.schooloutlet.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/Screen%20Shot%202016-07-13%20at%2010.00.49%20AM.png https://www.schooloutlet.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/Screen... The people making and buying these place are committing crimes against humanity.
- Spartan-S63 6y agoThey’re find for like 15-20 minutes, but after that, they’re unbearably uncomfortable. I remember starting to fidget quite a bit after about 20 minutes in those chairs/desks. It made sense, but it just wasn’t ergonomic. Imagine sitting there for 50 minutes, having 10 minutes to get to the next lecture, and repeating that three times in a short span. It’s awful.
- xwdv 6y agoFortunately being spry and youthful offsets those disadvantages. The only real crime of those chairs is enforcing right handedness on left handed students. This discomfort could be enough to create a slightly lower academic performance for left handed students on average compared to right handed.
- detaro 6y agoMy German high-school for some reason had one room with those chairs (which made them an interesting change once a week, not really annoying), but we had some lefty ones too.
- grugagag 6y agoIt's not comfortable but I don't think that's the worst chair especially if you pay attention how you sit in it. The worst chair is the cheap office chair that is often misaligned, wobbly and encouraging you to rest your back in a wrong way. And the free rotating swivel makes sure you are you really have a bad posture and not being able to sit properly. I relearned to sit down and now prefer a rigid surface and most often don't rest my back on anything. If your back is tired and you need to use the backrest it's time to get up and walk around a bit.
- adamnemecek 6y agoYou shouldn't have to pay attention to how you sit in it. there is literally only one position to sit in.
- grugagag 6y agoYou should absolutely pay attention to how you sit if you’ve learned to it wrong. Once the proper habit is built you no longer have to pay attention, just check yourself once in a while so you don’t slowly go back to the old habits. I unlearned and relearned sitting habits in my 30s after having back pain. Now in my 40s im doing much better than in my my 20s. Once in a while I catch myself in a bad sitting posture but it seems to be getting better and better.
- KozmoNau7 6y agoYou can almost certainly improve how you sit down. A lot of people just sort of flop down and sit with their hips slid forward and a pronounced bend in their back. Anecdotally I have also noticed many of the same people complaining about a lack of legroom in trains, airplanes, cars and so on. If they would simply sit down by pushing their butt and lower back into the chair instead of lazily flopping down, there would be plenty of space. (Not directed at those people with long legs, who do have genuine legroom issues even when sitting up straight)
- Barrin92 6y agoI thought we had it bad with our school chairs in Germany but that picture makes me think Foucault was onto something when he compared the education system to the prison system.
- arnvald 6y agoI've had to use these for some time, the worst part was that I'm left-handed and of course there was no chair with the armrest on the left side.
- axaxs 6y agoUncomfortable, but about perfect for popping your back. Though the back discomfort probably came from the horrid chairs in the first place, come to think of it.
- dwighttk 6y agoHuh... had some of those in school and they were fine for me. There were left handed versions available.
- II2II 6y agoOn the other hand, the people in those seats rarely do so for more than an hour. Other factors kick in because of that, such as cost and space utilization (which is effectively cost in a different form). Then again, I rarely had issues with sitting in them. Working space though, that was an issue. (Work on an in-class problem while referring to the text book? Ha!)
- EForEndeavour 6y agoMrs. Krabappel: Well, children, our new ultra-hard PostCherfect chairs have arrived. They’ve been designed by eminent posturologists to eliminate slouching by the year 3000. Martin: Mrs. Krabappel, I’m having back spasms! Mrs. Krabappel: I know they seem a little uncomfortable right now, but eventually your bones will change shape.
- visarga 6y ago> The worst chair in the world is the American high school/college desk+chair combo like this one How do left handed people write in those chairs?
- amanaplanacanal 6y agoWe would do better for ourselves to get rid of chairs entirely and sit on the floor. Getting down and up from the floor is a natural human movement that would keep us all fitter into old age.
- summitsummit 6y agosource?
- greenmana 6y agoI'd also recommend Turkish getups with a kettlebell.
- johnchristopher 6y agoHave you tried sitting on the floor and work with a keyboard ? Do you have a setup you could share ? I suppose Japanese should have something fitting but that might be a stereotype.
- pfortuny 6y agoThe Japanese are the first to know that their posture is unnatural, uncomfortable and probably harmful.
- dmvinson 6y agohttps://www.nutritiousmovement.com/furniture-free-ahs13/ https://www.nutritiousmovement.com/furniture-free-ahs13/ is an example of someone doing this in their home. Personally, my setup is a coffee table along with a zafu (buckwheat hull filled floor cushion) and sheepskins or a zabuton to cushion the floor a little. It's very comfortable, although I'd like to also have a standing desk to go with it. Coffee tables tend to be a pretty good height for this purpose if you want to avoid purchasing something custom. Besides that it's just a regular desk setup, albeit missing drawers or storage on the table.
- johnchristopher 6y ago> https://www.nutritiousmovement.com/furniture-free-ahs13/ https://www.nutritiousmovement.com/furniture-free-ahs13/ Interesting reading, thanks. Would you be so kind as to share a picture of your setup ? To have a rough idea of heights, space arrangements, elbow positioning, etc. ?
- jseliger 6y agoFor people working at computers in offices, get a motorized desk that can raised or lowered to a pre-determined height at the push of a button. https://jakeseliger.com/2015/01/24/geekdesk-max-sit-stand-desk-review-two-years-with-a-motorized-desk/ https://jakeseliger.com/2015/01/24/geekdesk-max-sit-stand-de...
- throwawaysea 6y agoPerhaps we need to design for a furniture-less world, where we sit and stand as we did for most of our evolution.
- lightgreen 6y agoWe just need neuralink with text input and output to the visual cortex so we could do our work literally anywhere: on the bus, lying on a bed, taking a shower.
- blunte 6y agoAt age 35, otherwise healthy and having spent 10 years in Herman Miller Aeron chairs, I had hip problems and a small but growing waistline. Then I transitioned to working from home and built my own standing desk (sadly before the very affordable mechanical Ikea standing desk was first released... But which I have now happily used for years). The first few weeks were challenging, but within three months I could stand for 12+ hours a day, and my hip problems went away. Also my overall energy seemed higher, and afternoon energy dips became less noticeable. For 13 years now I stand for virtually all of my day, and I have no back or hip problems. I do have slight spider veins on my ankles and knees, and that may be due in part to the standing. But it is cosmetic and barely visible, and totally worth the trade.
- grugagag 6y agoHow do you type standing for long periods of time? Do you rest your arms on the table?
- mattlondon 6y agoI tend to rest my wrists/outer corner of hand on the desk, just like I do when sitting. Can't say I've ever noticed a difference between sitting and standing when it comes to typing
- grugagag 6y agoThe best position for me that I find for typing and this might be my own body and preferences, is to have elbows tucked close to the rib cage and keyboard on my lap or as close to the body as possible and relax arms, not rest on them at all but having them hang from the shoulders. Having a standing desk is very tempting, the only thing is that I'm not sure how I'd replicate the typing position I just mentioned. I'm now very curious and I think I'll run some experiments.
- svachalek 6y agoI can't stand and type for long, as soon as I start to zone into it my legs want to go off and do their own thing and it totally messes me up. But, turns out most of my day is reading text, reading code, meeting, debugging, etc and not nearly as much typing as I would have guessed otherwise. It's easy to find a few hours that I really don't need to be sitting. With a sit/stand desk you can start by standing up for meetings, phone calls, etc, that don't really require typing at all and then see what else you can do standing.
- mattlondon 6y agoJust out of curiosity, am I the only one that seems to be happy to just sit on a dining chair when at my desk? When the WFH wave hit, people seemed to be going mad buying webcams and office chairs. Loads of people I work with spent a lot of energy researching and discussing chairs etc. I have a sit-stand desk and I stand for perhaps 2 to 3 hours any working day. But the rest of the time I just sit on a normal old wooden dining chair. No pain. No aches. No RSI. No CTS. I've been doing this for decades and nothing seems to have gone wrong yet. I do run 2 to 4 times a week so I do wonder if that helps avoid problems? Are all the uber-expensive office chairs just snake oil? Or have I just been lucky?
- elindbe2 6y agoI've been fine using a dining chair at home too. I don't feel much difference between my office chair at work and my wooden dining chair at home. I'm a runner too, for reference. Maybe sitting in less comfortable chair is better than a comfortable one over long periods because you adjust your posture more. I personally haven't noticed this but maybe I do it unconsciously.
- kleer001 6y agoYou are very lucky. Ergonomics is complex, bodies are complex. You just happened upon a setup that works for you.
- kshacker 6y agoI used the dining chair for a couple of years when I was not working. But we changed the dining arrangement and it is not the same any more. I also use a sit-stand (stand mode) for 2-3 hours, on a shop stool sitting mode ($60 odd from costco) for a bit, in my recliner for a bit, and recently tried sitting on the floor with a floor chair. It all works to varying degrees. My sit/stand is in my garage, so it does not work 3 months a year and then there is heavy reliance on inside, but for 9 months a year, it is quite habitable. No RSI/other issues to me also (knock on wood) and I am over 50 but I am starting to sense more and more that recliner (even if 4 hours) is not good and consciously try to reduce an hour or 2, but was quite hard to do that with the recent bay area heat and fires. Chairs? I am trying to move my office chair home, but that is so that I can cut down the recliner usage, but if I had a better dining arrangement (or my old dining arrangement) I probably would not bother.
- jamespetercook 6y agoI don’t think I’ve ever found a chair that I felt completely comfortable in. I like to sit upright and feel alert and most chairs seem to be made for relaxing. I’ve always wondered if it’s just me or not, and have often thought about designing a chair but realistically I don’t have the skills :(
- kjeetgill 6y agoSame. For me it's old band habits. Used to sitting on front edge of the chair not using the back rest.
- TACIXAT 6y agoI have this same issue. I've never seen a chair that supports shoulders back and down good posture. They all seem to hunch or arch forward. None offer the mid back support needed to put your chest forward. Same situation for sitting cross legged. My solution for posture has been a standing desk. I never really made any progress on my posture until I started standing.
- aloer 6y agoCheck out the Haider Bioswing (https://bioswing.de/en/sitzsysteme/produkte/ergonomischer_chefsessel_7er/ https://bioswing.de/en/sitzsysteme/produkte/ergonomischer_ch...) No idea if they are available internationally. I got one last year and I’d say the architecture definitely forces you to sit straight and relax less than you do with most chairs. But not necessarily in an uncomfortable way. It’s just not a chair for relaxed gaming or movie watching. That’s what makes it so great when working
- sgt101 6y agoI got a gaming chair at the beginning of lockdown, and I propped up my desk to get everything to the right height. The things I looked for : adjustable arm rests, adjustable height, adjustable tilt and headrest & lumbar support. Also buy a 28" 4k monitor, proper keyboard and mouse device of choice (I got an apple magic pad). All for ~ £500. It's worth the investment.
- _alex_ 6y agoDo you like the gaming chair? I ordered an aeron and didn’t like it, sent it back. Need a new chair. Decade old office chair is falling apart.
- sgt101 6y agoyes, it's good : https://secretlab.co.uk/collections/titan-xl-series https://secretlab.co.uk/collections/titan-xl-series
- bladegash 6y agoI have the Omega and love it. Comes with a lumbar pillow too, which works great.
- user5994461 6y agoIf you don't like the Aeron (I don't either), you can try the Sayl. It's still from Herman Miller but it's something else entirely. https://www.hermanmiller.com/en_gb/products/seating/office-chairs/sayl-chairs/ https://www.hermanmiller.com/en_gb/products/seating/office-c...
- arde 6y agoI swear by my Herman Miller Embody chair. I used to have severe lower back pain, and this chair has helped me eliminate the pain by keeping a healthy posture. It's the only chair I found that locks my sitting position, keeping my hips the right way no matter how many hours I have to spend on it and still allowing healthy back movements.
- 6y ago
- armagon 6y agoGee, I was just thinking I needed to make some new chairs for the kitchen table (which seems to be a somewhat challenging woodworking project, as curves as usually called for and the way to craft them isn't obvious). I wish the article offered more advice about what makes a good chair, or chair alternative.
- cpwright 6y agoIf you are going to invest the effort in a set of dining chairs, I would recommend watching the Wood Whisperer guild dining chair videos. I have made a Hank chair and high chairs, but have never made a dining char. I did buy the class and found how Marc Spagnuolo broke it down interesting and informative.
- mspe 6y agoYou could also combine furniture instead of buying an expensive standing desk: https://imgbox.com/9tFW5Pvs https://imgbox.com/9tFW5Pvs
- Theodores 6y agoChairs need a failsafe mode. This is what I call better design. Recently my father sat on a chair that collapsed underneath him. It was a seemingly okay teak garden chair that had been recently in service and offered up to important guests. So in that way it was good that it was him rather than his brother in law or elderly neighbour that received a bruised elbow. This got me thinking about the safety of chairs. This chair - a folding chair - really should have included a wire around the seat so that it had a failsafe mode in order to prevent complete failure once the wood of the seat eventually gave up. There should be proper testing of seats to see if they are fit for purpose. Car seats for babies can't be passed on because there could be some crack in the polystyrene, yet regular chairs have no standards for safety. It is not a big deal until such time as you see a valued relative come a cropper. Design is how it works and chairs are not designed to have a failsafe aspect to the design.
- lightgreen 6y agoRealistically, how many people get injured from collapsed chairs? I think less than from fire or drowned or something. Just buy not the cheapest chair, and you will be safe.
- Theodores 6y agoThere is no such thing as an accident. If your chair breaks in a restaurant you can sue them. I bet the restaurant owners never thought of this when setting up. Injuries can also be quite serious, it depends on the circumstance and the individual. Your argument is the same for airbags, seatbelts and wearing hard hats. We live in a Health and Safety world where liability exists. Except for chairs.
- rkagerer 6y agoI hate how the first thing this site does is make me lie and say "I'm Happy" about their cookies.
- polote 6y agoI have been trying to find info on laying down desks and chairs in the past few weeks, but there is really not a lot of people who have experienced with it. If you had, please comment here
- themodelplumber 6y agoYou mean laying down to operate a computer? I've been experimenting with that on and off for about 4-5 years now. Looking to deepen / accelerate this practice recently. It's pretty nice when it works well. I use one of those adjustable (3 joints per side) laptop desks and a mouse or trackball at my side. The laptop desk has a large lip on one end that prevents it from falling off when tilted. The great thing about this is that laying down seems to reduce strain on the nervous system so much that it's a more sustainable working position in a lot of ways. I find that my overall working mood is much more stable, especially compared to 1h+ sitting upright. I sometimes go back to a sitting position at work in the late afternoon (WFH) and my energy seems sapped by sitting within about 30-45 minutes (not completely sapped; just compared to the laying position). Laying down, on the other hand, is much more sustainable. I usually experiment with what I have on hand first (I used storage tubs and cardboard boxes to build my first standing desk), and I haven't yet tried any special chairs that allow laying down, except for a reclining couch. I think my next experiment in this area will be a lumbar pillow to be used when laying flat. I've been surprised at how much lumbar support can make a big difference in chairs, couches, etc. A friend told me he believes lack of lumbar support in his chairs at home caused his nerve damage, and I can see why he would say that. Some aspects that I don't like: - It has a social stigma. Either "hospital bed" (are you sick?) or "lazy" (you've been in bed for how long today?) - I can't (yet) put two 24+ inch monitors to use in this position :) - Same with my favorite keyboard...laptops are what allow this to work. - Some other minor things, but I believe paying attention to little adjustments can help here.
- megameter 6y agoHere is my setup, which is a very inexpensive, low-footprint way of doing it: 1. A large lap desk. This is a powerful tool for adding flexibility as you'll see. It lets you keep all the peripherals near you. I currently use it with a USB hub, a 65% mechanical keyboard, a keypad with macro functions, and a trackball mouse. 2. A floor chair with reclining functions. The one I have is one of the cheapest on Amazon, basically a folding backrest with a bit of cushion. 3. A laptop/monitor arm and a shelf to hang it off of. With a laptop angled at 90 degrees so that the screen is overhead, I have a fully supinated setup on the floor, with the floor chair folded most of the way back for support. But it gets better. With a low folding table or breakfast tray I can switch the laptop and chair over to floor seating. Here the lap desk serves as a way to let me move around more. This is a great way to add variety of posture and stretch as I work, and I find that I use different positions for different levels of intensity during the day. Supination is better for passive viewing, while upright with no support is focused, intense. Seated with the chair reclined is the medium for "Tired but still want to work". And then I still have more traditional feet-dangling seats I can use too. Again, just haul over the lap desk and plug in. The best part is, none of these items need to cost more than $100. Most are closer to $50. So you can solve everything with an investment of perhaps $200-300.
- scrooched_moose 6y agoIf anyone is looking for a better chair, we found this was a great time to pick up Herman Miller Aerons off of craigslist. There's a steady stream of small-to-medium offices in our area closing, and they're all liquidating office furniture. We picked up 2 for $500. They're a massive improvement over my $80 chair that was fine for a few hours a week pre-WFH, and my back is feeling much better.
- colmvp 6y agoI found my Aeron chair triggered my lower back pain. Since then I’ve moved to mostly using a standing mat and standing up as well as strengthening my core. I might try sitting on my Aeron chair after a few months of core strengthening
- encom 6y ago>lower back pain How low? I've had a terrible pain in my tailbone going on a few months now. I finally relented and got one of those donut shaped memory foam pillows. 40€ for a block of foam with a hole in it is criminal, but after using it for a week now, I must admit it does help a lot.
- flanbiscuit 6y ago> I've had a terrible pain in my tailbone This always happened to me on those Aeron chairs and pre-covid I was using those doughnut pillows for a few years, they worked great.
- Aeolun 6y agoI had pain in my tailbone like this for 1.5 years (including donut cushion and all) before a doc ordered a CT and found I had a hemmorhoidal cyst. Not sure if that’s already been excluded, but my life has been a lot happier since they removed it :P
- emcq 6y agoIf it's an acute pain at your tailbone, you might want to consult a doctor or nurse. You could be having a common condition like a pilonidal cyst.
- war1025 6y agoI read somewhere that if you want good posture, just sit on the edge of the seat. So that's what I do and it seems to work fine. Chairs with backs are nice, but it seems like they will always just lead to terrible posture.
- NicolasGorden 6y agoI've used a posture corrector. It's really very effective and cheap. Love it since it makes me conscious every time I start slouching.
- trashcan 6y agoI replaced an Aeron with a a gaming chair that was much more affordable (although it was back-ordered for a few months). What a huge improvement! It feels like I'm in a bucket seat in a car, which is basically what it is.
- herman_toothrot 6y agoWhich specific chair did you get?
- trashcan 6y agohttps://secretlab.co/collections/omega-series https://secretlab.co/collections/omega-series. I opted for the fabric cover to discourage my cats from chewing on it. :)
- blueridge 6y agoMy sense is that we all just need to move more: sit, stand, roll around on the rug, squat, go for a walk, you get the idea. Basically don't spend the entire working day in a single position. I briefly went through a phase where I thought I'd enjoy the no-furniture lifestyle, but it wasn't for me. It also wasn't for my partner, nor my parents when they come to visit, nor anyone else whom I might want to invite into the home. I don't want to Marie Kondo the shit out of my space—I want to surround myself with beautiful, practical pieces of furniture that I enjoy using. I don't think most people go and try out furniture before they bring it home. I'm talking multiple trips to a furniture store, where you go and sit and explore the same few pieces over and over and until you're sure you've found something you love. You've got to stay seated for a bit to figure out where the pressure points are, whether or not the angle or depth of a seat makes your legs go numb, or hurts your back, etc. Do you like a firm seat? Do you like to sit "on" the cushions, or "down in to" the cushions? You want something with a high seat, or a low seat? There's a lot of furniture out there. It pays to take time to do the research, learn about how it's built, learn about different fabric types and how they affect the way a cushion holds it shape, then spend a good deal of money on a quality product. Furthermore, there's a huge difference in quality between buying a chair from West Elm and buying a chair from Knoll. For instance, I think this is one of the most comfortable and practical chairs on the planet: https://www.knoll.com/product/saarinen-executive-arm-chair https://www.knoll.com/product/saarinen-executive-arm-chair We use it as a dining chair, and as a reading chair with an ottoman, and as a standard desk task chair. It's truly wonderful. Is it expensive? Yes it is. But it looks great, it's built well, it has a firm and comfortable seat, and it'll last a lifetime. But hey, comfort is subjective, you like what you like! Edit for those who are furniture shopping: - Saarinen chair linked above also comes with casters and hydraulic lift: https://www.knoll.com/product/saarinen-executive-arm-chair-swivel-base https://www.knoll.com/product/saarinen-executive-arm-chair-s... - Don't knock it, it's surprisingly comfortable for long stretches: https://www.knoll.com/product/brno-chair-flat-bar https://www.knoll.com/product/brno-chair-flat-bar - Great reading chair (with ottoman) if you have the space: https://www.knoll.com/product/womb-chair https://www.knoll.com/product/womb-chair - Of course, the Eames lounge chair is a classic, though if you're taller than 5'8" go with the Tall version as you'll get a deeper seat and head support. For those with lumbar spine issues, probably not the most comfortable: https://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/lounge-seating/eames-lounge-chair-and-ottoman/ https://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/lounge-seating... - Wonderfully firm sofa, great for long meetings, reading with attention. If you like to lounge, not great for movie nights. Durable fabric options, along with custom leather: https://www.roomandboard.com/catalog/living/sofas-and-loveseats/andre-sofas https://www.roomandboard.com/catalog/living/sofas-and-lovese...
- temptemptemp111 6y agoThis reads like parody... Hahaha: tyranny of chairs! Ya... Let's have a war on chairs... Hilarious.
- lightgreen 6y agoBtw for those who are in London I can recommend refurbished Herman Miller chairs from this guy http://www.welovechairs.co.uk/ http://www.welovechairs.co.uk/ I’m not affiliated with him, just bought a chair from him and was very happy by the service.
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- gagabity 6y agoThe Ikea POANG recliner chair, you know the one, is the most comfortable chair I have ever used, you need to rearrange your desk setup because its so low and leaned back but once you have it destroys any other option out there, your back is just relaxed.
- cnasc 6y agoMy Poång has only recently been replaced by a Lovesac, which is slightly less ergonomically correct but much better for napping in. The Poång is an absolute steal at 1/10 the price
- JackMorgan 6y agoI actually have such a setup, but I've recently moved to a standing desk, it's just too claustrophobic for me to work in such a reclined position all day. However it's very comfortable for shorter periods of time!
- tonyedgecombe 6y agoI can sit and read in mine but I can't imagine trying to work in it.
- mitchtbaum 6y agohttps://youtu.be/A3Zb4MWCGPc https://youtu.be/A3Zb4MWCGPc
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- LoSboccacc 6y ago> The real science of ergonomics, Cranz argues, should point designers toward chair design that supports and enables the body’s need for movement, not stillness – with seats that angle downward in front, for example, and have a base that’s flexible enough for the sitter to shift their body weight from leg to leg weird then not finding mention of the Varier Balans chairs. I had one growing up, and bought another one after a month of lockdown as my home office setup wasn't meant for extended usage. that one and a standing desk seems working well so far.
- spaetzleesser 6y agoIt kind of sucks that computers allow us to do most of our work while sitting in the same place. When I started working there were more reasons to get up, take something somewhere, walk to the printer and so on. This feels much healthier. I don’t think any design with better chairs, stand up desks or whatever will make it healthy to stay in the same place the whole day. If I had to choose a career now I would definitely think about something that allows for more walking or other activity.
- unnouinceput 6y agoI use my bed as my chair. My desk has wheels, so I can sit on my "chair" way more comfortable then on any expensive chair.
- raindropm 6y agoFor anyone that have sore butt syndrome, here's my personal tip: improve blood circulation of your...butt! I bought Steelcase Think six month ago to replace my $50 chair, and while it is good chair with good price and comfy-but-firm seat cushion, it cannot solve my chronic "sore butt" problem. Half and hour in the chair and my butt soreness begin to appear. Doesn't help that I'm the type that sit in front of monitor all day. I know I need to move more frequently, or did some light exercise or stretching, but when you need to work, you need to sit anyway. Then I read that the soreness is the result of lack of blood circulation, so I decide to give thing that improve it a try: a beads car seat. You know, the vintage-looking one taxi driver use. THE SORENESS IS GONE. It's been several months since. Now I can sit all day long without feeling a thing. Note that the version I use is the 'beads mat' with rubber texture on the bottom(This is important because it help prevent the beads seat from slipping)
- baxtr 6y agoAmazon link? :-)
- Justin_K 6y agoIt may also be a way your body is saying it needs a break and you should stand up if possible!
- mpol 6y agoSore butts are a common theme in cycling :) On longer rides people might prefer harder saddles. A softer seating clamps down on your soft tissue and prevents proper blood circulation. Having a harder seating will make you sit on your sit bones and have your blood flow free. The sit bones can start to feel a bit irritated after some time, but that is the time to get up for a walk. If your soft tissue (from lack of blood flow) starts hurting, it is because it is starting to get damaged. Even if you would walk for an hour and sit again, the pain would come back instantly.
- raindropm 6y agoThat's new to me! because I never ride a bike more than 10 minutes at a time haha. Everything you describe is what I experience. I have good time sitting on my old wooden chair, and yes, the butt is free of pain (but my back hurt instead, because its backrest is in upright 90 degree angle) also there is not armrest whatsoever so I can't work for long.... well, maybe that's the point, I need to move more.
- ezoe 6y agoExercise ball is the best chair for me. It has the best cushioning unmatched to any unreasonably expensive chairs. Backrest and armrests aren't necessary. You should have developed enough core to support your weight. You are free from developing injuries caused by long use of ordinary chair. It's cheap and portable too.
- BrandoElFollito 6y agoI've been sitting on a ball at the office for now 3 years. I love it. I do not have any hard numbers, but the fact that I move around, make small jumps , must keep balance etc. seems to be a good thing. I was sitting on an office chair at home during lock down and I think my back hurted more